


Shooting Star

by asteryxm



Category: Brawl Stars (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, everyone: you didnt connect shxt, me: ive connected the characters in brawl stars, me: ive connected them, very light oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-04-24 09:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19170646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asteryxm/pseuds/asteryxm
Summary: An ancient family feud, a missing father, and a new bandit in town: Colt has to deal with it all in the wake of a meteor shower which has the citizens of Brawl Town divided.





	1. The Rogue / The Storm / The Meteorite

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! It's asteryxm's AO3 account, and I'm super excited to share my first fanfiction on this site with you! I hope it'll be a great journey for you and me alike. There are a few things to set straight first, though.  
> The content in this work is not affiliated, endorsed, or promoted by Supercell, and all the characters and content belong to their respective owners. I do not claim to be a part of Supercell, and I do not make profit off of this.  
> This work probably won't have anything that gives it a "Mature" rating in it. However, it does include gratuitous weapon mentions and some light "fantasy" violence. So be warned.  
> Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the show. It's going to be fu~n!

 

Shelly didn’t know why she did it. Perhaps it was the desire to help a so-called fellow desert-dweller in need - or perhaps it was just in the heat of the moment. Nevertheless, it had been a mistake, and she knew that she was surely going to pay for it in her plans.

The rogue was a sworn enemy of Brawl Town, a terror of the Wild West. Living under the stars, occasionally stealing from the town, and fighting off the law was her life, and she liked it. It was simple. So why did she push the sheriff’s precious son out of the way? It probably would’ve been easier to let him get stabbed a million times by Spike… or bitten a thousand times by the gravedigger’s bats. And it didn’t help that there was another new face in that fight - a dancing, singing skeleton, reminiscent of the Dio de las Muertos decorations back in Shelly’s hometown, who apparently helped the brat out instead of fighting him. What even! 

Well, it could’ve been worse. She didn’t let on too much about her identity other than being a purple-haired girl who suddenly appeared. It would be easy to disappear again. After all, Shelly had disappeared more often then she had appeared in her life - first from her parents, then from her village, then from her country...

Taking her violet strands in her fingers, she started to play with her hair as she rested in the gracious shade of a cactus in the sun. It was kind of a nervous tic for her, ever since she was young. She needed something to do with her hands while she thought. This earned the concern of the aforementioned cactus, who turned to meet her. Spike was one of Shelly’s only allies in the desert surrounding the town, besides El Primo, a former lucha libre wrestler who was also apparently on the run for an accident related to his career. The sentient cactus looked down at Shelly, it’s hollow eyes somehow managing to represent a semblance of care. Shelly sighed. 

“ _ You had him, Spike. Lo siento _ .” The spiny plant frowned, and shrugged. What’s the big deal? it seemed to say, shifting the shadows that fell beneath him. Shelly moved to get up, stretching. The heat of the midday sun was just starting, and she intended to get out of it - perhaps she could just crash in one of the abandoned buildings out here, or find a mine entrance.

“ _ I guess you are right. Come on, we should get somewhere cooler - Oh, I know you don’t care, but I’m a living human! I will die! Maybe the cousin has somewhere cleared out… _ ”

Patting Spike as gently as she could as to not hurt herself, she led the plant across the plains and into the shade of a makeshift lean-to under a lone tree, leaving the unforgiving desert sun behind.  Though she always felt calmer talking to it - it was a good listener, really - Shelly couldn’t help but wonder to herself if her accident would affect her plans of becoming Queen of the Wild West.

“ _ Hola Primo _ ,” she said, approaching a large figure in the grass, who was lounging under a large wooden panel propped up by ramshackle planks. El Primo waved back. 

“ _ How was it _ ?” he asked, sitting cross legged, clearing the ground besides him. Shelly accepted the motion, and sat down, grateful for the shade. 

“ _ Gracias. Didn’t get him. But he will think twice about coming to these parts, perhaps _ .” she said, omitting the part where she was the reason he survived. El Primo pulled a face, and though it was not a positive reaction to her statement, Shelly couldn’t help but smile at his exaggerated motions and expressions that weren’t entirely visible through his mask. It was obvious that Primo was used to being on stage, entertaining a large audience.

“ _ Tomorrow maybe _ ?” he replied. Shelly shook her head. Spike cocked his head from his spot in the sun, and El Primo raised his eyebrows. The violet-haired girl got up, and strode toward the front of the structure. 

“ _ No. We are a bit… busy, tomorrow. _ ” She gazed up at the sky. 

A hint of confusion, then the sudden spark of understanding in both her sidekick’s faces. They too looked up, and where Shelly pointed, their eyes followed. There, just above the moon, barely perceptible, was a speck of light. If the rogue’s star charts were correct, there could be a chance to take control of Brawl Town, regardless of any interruptions. Shelly smiled. 

“ _ Hola meteorito _ ,” she breathed.

The meteor stared back, a cold promise in the sky. 

***

Where there is water, life begins. First it comes in the form of hardy plants, the ones brave enough to survive where nothing else has. Then come the trees and animals, on the heels of the pilgrims who settled first. Where resources are plentiful, humans come, making a home out of the bounty of the land. That is how it has been in the course of history, and that is how it will always be; the struggle against the elements in search of a home. 

This was not the case for a certain small town located on the border of everything - between California and Arizona, between America and Mexico, between the clear-cut laws of civilization and the lawless, western frontier. It may also be theorized that this place is outside of time, for the town is an anachronism among the more modern cities of the United States. You can’t find it on a map, and not many people even know of the place. Brawl Town, located about fifteen or so miles away from nearby Retropolis, was truly a hypocrisy of a place, where strange things happened at high noon.

The great-grandparents of the citizens originally settled here around gold-rich deposits, giving them riches beyond belief - or so they thought. Soon, the mines dried up disappointingly quickly, and though the deep-drilled wells would’ve kept on sustaining life, most everybody packed up their things and left at the first chance. “There’s no point hanging around here,” they said, slinging a pickaxe over their shoulder, the women bundling up their little ones and climbing into canvas-clad wagons drawn by softly snuffing bulls. “We don’t like this place.”

Indeed. The mines held one thing other than gold - giant, clear crystals of quartz or some other worthless mineral, not good enough to sell, but obtrusive enough to gain the attention of everyone. These crystals grew in enormous quantities. The natives told the residents they held powers, but never said what powers, nor how to obtain them. In fact, they seemed to fear them as much as everyone else did and when questioned, they did not know how to obtain power from them either. 

It’s no wonder that nowadays, Brawl Town is effectively a small village, inhabited by the few families that stuck around - the Junkers and the de La Prims for instance, as well as a few other odds and ends. The landscape is not exactly friendly, nor is the legal status surrounding the place. It’s common knowledge to citizens and local bandits alike that Brawl Town is hardly recognized by the government even in times of trouble, existing in a limbo that allowed the town to evade common law, even decades after the Spanish-American War. Because of this, it’s mostly up to the locals to defend themselves from criminals and bandits. 

The tough folk of the town liked to discuss their latest victories in the saloon, with the bartender happily listening to their stories as he whipped up beer after beer. Though the exterior of the building is drab and dusty from years of the bleaching desert sun and tumbleweed storms, one would find the interior warm and inviting, with wholesome candle lit lanterns accompanied by old-school light bulbs illuminating the place. It is here that the young son of the sheriff stepped in, the evening sun casting a warm glow through the windows, catching dust motes in the rays. With his charming, amiable smile, Colt Junker struck up a conversation with a few of the men there, a light drink in hand. 

“Howdy y’all.” They nodded and smiled. 

“Where’ve you been all today?” “Haven’t seen ya at all.” “Thought you’d be here earlier.” Colt smiled exasperatedly and sat down. 

“Well, I’ve got kind of a crazy story. I was patrolling around the west side of the desert, when this… cactus... threw a… grenade or something at me.” Colt paused, noting the looks on his friend’s faces. “Yeah. I mean, I  _ did _ say it was crazy. But then this purple-haired girl pushed me out of the way, so I didn’t get hit with too many spines. Then Mortis tried to kill me, I’m pretty sure.”

This earned an eye roll from some of the other men in the bar. Everybody knew that the old gravedigger of the town was at least a little bit insane, and it wasn’t a surprise if he whipped out his shovel-sword thing on a citizen. He called it “creating business opportunities.” Everyone else called it “homicide.” Otherwise, Colt’s story checked out, in according with the weird laws of the town. He continued with his story.

“But before Mortis could do that, there was this skeleton fellow with a guitar. Even if he was really bad at it - I think I might have lost my hearing in the process - he still managed to fend off that old geezer. I’m happy about that. Anyways, I spent most of the day after that at the hospital.” he said, rubbing his back where numerous little cactus spines had been before. 

“Looks like that hurt.” A familiar, robotic voice sounded from behind Colt, an he turned around to meet the single, golden, eye of Barley, the robot bartender, who looked like he was good-humoring him, judging by the upside down “u” of his display. “Would you like something for that?” 

“Oh, no, it’s really alright.”

“This one’s on the house!” Barley exclaimed, holding up a few bottles of only god-knows-what. Colt laughed. 

“Barley, nothing good ever happens when you say that. Anyways, Pam treated me just fine. Thank you though.” The robot nodded and bowed, his head spinning, before rushing to serve the next customer. 

“Sounds like ya had a rough day,” said another familiar voice. Where did all of these people keep coming from?! Colt spun around yet again, only to find a tall, blonde woman sitting in the seat next to him, batting her long eyelashes at him and twirling her hair around her finger. He gulped. If there was anything that he knew, it was that the town beauty was nothing to be messed with - and no, she most definitely was not flirting with him - only toying with him. It was probably best to walk away, but Colt decided to keep his cool.

“Good evening, Piper de La Prim,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Got nothing to do except look pretty today?”

She laughed. “Well, Ah sure as hell still look better than you, and Ah don’t spend nearly  _ that _ much time in front of a mirror.” Piper smirked. “But what you were sayin’ - Ah do think that’s real interestin.’ It’s not everyday you get attacked by a cactus.” Then she leaned closer in. “And get your behind saved by a lass. Don’t think too hard about her tonight,” she said, her voice full of something Colt couldn’t pick up entirely on.

Hopping off the stool tersely, she patted Colt’s back - a little too hard, obviously referencing the earlier battle as the slap stung. “Good night.”

“I wasn’t going to think -” Colt hissed, then frowned. “Ugh, she’s gone. Is it already that late?” A quick glance at the clock confirmed his question. “I should be getting home too. I’ll see you guys tomorrow then?” The boys nodded, and he motioned for Barley. After paying the robo-bartender, Colt left the saloon. It was getting late now. The full moon hung ominously in the sky, a visiting star blazing ever closer to the earth next to it.

***

Colt returned home a few minutes later; one of the benefits to living in a small town like this was that everything was in arm’s reach. He was greeted immediately by a small dog-like machine, wagging its tail like a small puppy - of course, one of Jessie’s inventions. She was always thinking up new ones, but it was clear that she was most proud of Scrappy and her trusty Shock Rifle. Colt gave the cute turret a light pat. “Hey there buddy,” he said without thinking. “Got any upgrades today?” After a few moments, he straightened up, walking into the next room over where his parents were relaxing after a long day. 

“Hey Ma, hey Pop.” Pam nodded, while his father, Tom, looked over his newspaper. “How are you doing on a fine night like this? Is Jessie already asleep?”

“Oh, it’s been fine,” said Pam, “Jess done worn ‘erself out, chasing a mobile version of Scrappy around all day. Looks like we won’t be putting legs on turrets anytime soon.” Colt chuckled. 

“Yeah, I figured.”

Tom Junker put his newspaper down and looked at his son. The head of the house was an amiable man, and while he was by no means young, he was still clever, full of tactful wisdom on top of that. Years of guarding Brawl Town gave him experience that almost everybody in the town respected him for. However, Tom was getting old, and he was getting ready to pass on the job of sheriff to Colt. Sure, Colt could sometimes be a complete airhead, but he was always full of good intentions. Tom smiled warmly.

“So, I heard about your little spat with a living cactus?” 

“Yeah. That was weird.” Colt rubbed his head. “I also saw this purple-haired girl wearing this red bandanna with pierced ears, who saved me from the worst of the spines, and I think Mortis tried to kill me?”

“Hm. I’ll have a word with him later.” Tom rubbed his red mustache, glancing down at his newspaper before returning his eyes to Colt. “Anything else out of the ordinary?” 

“A dancing skeleton helped me get out of the scuffle later. He seemed pretty friendly, but said that he had to leave after a bit. Said he was trying to find his grandson.”

Colt’s father nodded. “Lots of strange things happening lately, eh? I swear it was only yesterday when there were reports of a young girl riding a bear. Perhaps we’ll go investigate this more in detail tomorrow. How does that sound? We’ll make it a boy’s day.”

Colt grinned. “Of course. I’m going to bed now. Today’s got me tuckered out. Good night!”

Pam waved after Colt as he climbed up the stairs. Tom resumed reading his newspaper, albeit with a bit more scrutiny this time, narrowing his eyes and stroking his mustache. Pam furrowed her brows.

“Why, Tom, what’s wrong?” she asked, concern clouding over.

Tom shook his head. “Nothing, dear.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. I know you always fidget when you’ve got something on your mind.”

“A red bandanna and pierced ears… That’s half of the description of this lady here in the paper,” said Tom, flipping the sheaf over to show Pam, pointing to the advert. “A wanted criminal out of Mexico. Looks like she stole some Mayan artifact. But,” he paused. “She’s got black hair here in the description. So it doesn’t seem like she’s the one that Colt encountered.”

“Maybe you can ask him tomorrow?” Pam yawned. “It’s really quite late.”

Nodding in agreement, Tom closed the newspaper, neatly folding it on the table. “I think I will. Then, I’m headed off to bed as well. Good night.”

“Good night, dear.” 

***

What did Piper mean? 

Colt lay in his bed, thinking harder about the day’s events. Now that he thought about it, there wasn’t that much notable about his day. It was just like any other regular one - after all, things like living plants and skeletons happened all the time around Brawl Town. The weird thing was Piper.

He had grown up with the girl. They were only a year or so apart, the blonde being the older one out of them. But that, and the fact that their respective families had an extensive history in Brawl Town, was it in terms of their commonalities. While Colt was always more in the dirt of the action, the doer, Piper was far more tactical, staying back until she saw her perfect opportunity. 

Colt liked to shoot lots of shots, and having a few of them land was okay. Piper put her heart and soul into a few bullets that never missed. 

Except… now that he thought about it, she  _ might _ have lost control earlier today. Colt still wasn’t sure what Piper’s disposition hid, but he was pretty sure that mentioning the purple-haired girl set off something. After all, Colt hardly ever mentioned other women. 

And that mysterious girl! It would’ve been nice to say a ‘thank you’ after the skirmish, but just as fast as she had crashed into him, she was gone, along with the cactus who Colt would’ve liked to put a few bullets into. Most likely she was one of the desert nomads, roaming from place to place with nothing but the clothes on her back and her wits, a complete juxtaposition against Piper, who had everything, and liked to stay at home. But… if he was being honest, that was kind of… different. Hot. 

Colt blinked. Now he understood. He shouldn’t think about this anymore - it was causing more problems than it solved. Yawning, Colt took one last glance out the window, and snuggled deeper into the covers, eventually falling into a peaceful slumber.

***

It was about three a.m. when the town heard a loud _ BOOM _ from the south side, behind the general store. The entire family was up in minutes, Tom and Colt grabbing their weapons to see what was the commotion, and Pam picking up one of her famous Heal Turrets in case anyone was hurt. Jessie raced to get Scrappy, but was stopped by her mother on the way out the door. 

“Jessie, can you watch the house? If anyone gets hurt on our street, can you tell us?” said Pam, strapping her equipment to her back. 

“But I  _ never _ get to do anything!” whined Jessie, crossing her arms, looking crestfallen.

“Please, I don’t want you to get hurt or -” Pam broke off as she glanced outside, noting Jessie’s own shocked expression. “Oh,  _ Lord _ .”

The backdrop of the town was lit up by meteors of all shapes and sizes, seemingly setting the sky aflame. They crashed into the earth with deafening explosions, denting the earth where they landed. Though none of them had hit a home yet, most of the neighbors were up and awake, and they too staring up at the sky with amazed, scared, and fearful expressions. Pam swallowed. 

“Okay, you can come. But I doubt Scrappy will be useful. Grab one of my backup Heal Turrets.” Jessie nodded. “I have a feeling we’ll be needing ‘em tonight.”

Meanwhile, Colt and Tom were in front of the general store when the meteors really started coming in force, the older one panting from the exertion of running so quickly. Both looking toward the residential area, Tom motioned for Colt to go, turning back to the general store. 

“What?! Hey, I can do this if you want. You should probably go check them, because, you’re better at that kind of stuff,” cried Colt, putting his guns back in his belt. They were not needed tonight. Tom shook his head. 

“No, you’ll be fine. Besides, it doesn’t seem like it’s the work of ordinary people. Just go check if everyone’s okay.” 

“What about you, Pops?”

Tom grimaced. “Son, I’ve been doing this for over thirty years.” Boom. “Whatever I find in that meteor, I swear, I’ll defend this town from it. But you, you’ve got the world ahead of you. I know you can do it.” Another boom. “Now go!”

Colt nodded, and ran off. Tom turned toward the general store, which was backlit by the flame of the meteorite. Even with the fire, it burned unnaturally bright, as if there was another source for the pyre. Was there? Tom took a breath, suddenly feeling calm, though he knew he that whatever in the meteor was most probably extremely dangerous. Colt could protect the town now. Loading his shotgun with a slug, Tom stepped out into the land behind the store. 

***

The commotion died down pretty quickly after the initial bursts. Only a few people were harmed in the shower, and even then, they were burns from poking the flaming rocks, not the meteorites themselves landing on citizens. Pam took care of the situation, Jessie backing her up and taking her job very seriously. No real property damage had occurred. With a lot of water, the meteorites were extinguished, leaving behind small blocks of a rock that looked like bituminous coal. Colt messed with his hair. 

“Any idea why these meteors landed here?” It was Piper again, sidling up to Colt. She was dressed in a simple nightgown, and though she was “polite” as usual, one could tell that she was irritated. Colt shrugged. 

“No idea. Did you happen to catch anything that happened? I mean, you do like to stay up late…”

Piper sniffed. “Ah do suppose Ah know a thing or two. Ah was sittin’ in the parlor of my house when Ah saw this great big streak of light come down behind the general store - brighter than anythin’ Ah seen before. Looked like an infernal angel come down from the sky, flamin’ wings and all. Movin’, too. Anyways, that’s when Ah decided Ah had enough, and ran outside to warn some of the townies.” 

“Did you go to investigate the crater or anything?”

“Oh, heavens, no. Ah did get kind of close to it at one point - and it was an oddity. See, when Ah was about fifty feet from the crater, it felt fine - Ah could still feel the cool night air. But after that threshold, it was scorchin’. Ah’d have Rico check it out, but the sap’s got a fragile constitution. Very strange, but other than that, Ah got nothin’.”

“Okay, thank you. Then I should go check it out myself. Tom hasn’t come back yet.”

“You’re welcome.”

Colt left the lady behind, running towards the general store. It shouldn’t take this long to investigate something. Maybe Tom had waited until it cooled down to get close to it - and according to Piper, it had been very hot. Yes, Colt thought. That was the right decision to do, and the most plausible explanation for the delay. He slowed down as he approached his mother, who was showing Jessie how to pack up the Heal Turret, pointing to the nuts and bolts with careful patience. 

“Pam, I’m going to check the general store. Tom hasn’t come back yet.” Pam frowned, and Jessie looked up, her hazel eyes shining with alarm.

“Sure. I’ll go with you,” she said. “Jessie, you come with.”

The three sped to the site of the initial explosion, where Tom had gone. Colt walked to the edge of the pit, looking down to assess the damage.

This meteor wasn’t too big, surprisingly. About two feet wide of black rock, its surface smooth from the landing, a bit cracked on the bottom from the crude landing. It sat in the middle of a crater a hundred feet in diameter, its benign nature ominous to Colt and Pam. And the crater wasn’t too hot, as Piper said - no, it seemed to have cooled down significantly, and it was actually quite pleasant there, in contrast with the night’s cold desert wind. But that was not what Colt was concerned about. 

“Tom? Tom, are you there?” yelled Pam, cupping her hands around her mouth. With the grass cover obliterated by the crater, there wasn’t anywhere for the sheriff to hide. “Tom?” 

“Maybe he’s somewhere around the crater. Here, I’ll go check,” said Colt. Pam nodded. 

Colt climbed out of the crater. What had Piper said, what had she said? There was a lot of fire, and it looked a bit like a figure was moving in the fire - no, the figure was the fire. If there was an alien or something that came from the meteorite, it had to have been made of fire. But how was that possible? Maybe his father had the answers. 

“Tom?” cried Colt, brushing the tall grass out of the way. He couldn’t have gotten far. There were no tracks to speak of that he could see in the dim light. Colt paused. “...Pops?”

Only the whoosh of the western wind answered him, making the grass ripple like a vast, unsearchable ocean around Colt, hiding things that he desperately wanted to know and more things that he didn’t want to know. Morning was coming, and the sky beginning to lighten up. Suddenly there came a short cry from the crater, like someone was in pain. Colt raced back.

No, it was just his sister, who was sucking her fingers, assumedly because she stuck her hand on the hot rock. But now the meteorite was smoking… steaming… What?! Colt didn’t know anything about geology or science or any of that. What he did know was that someone was in danger, and he slid down the crater to where Pam was intensely scrutinizing the cracked meteorite and where Jessie was blowing on her hand.

“What’s up?” said Colt, breathless. 

“Look,” said Pam between gently reprimanding her daughter, pointing to the center of the meteorite. There, like the heart of a chest ripped open by an Aztec warrior, was a glowing, purple gem, faintly pulsating. Colt stared in astonishment. 

“I wonder what it can be used for,” mused Jessie. “It looks like it has... some sort of energy in it.” 

“You can wonder about that later. Colt, did you manage to find your father?” Colt shook his head, and Pam sucked in through her teeth. “Alright, then we might have to go without him for a while.” 

Jessie started. “Wait, what? But… Pops.. we need to find him right now, right?” Pam smiled grimly, and a distant look clouded her eyes. 

“Your father’s tough, Jess. If he’s gone for this long, chances are he’s got a purpose and the mind to do it. He don’t like leaving jobs half-done; that’s his peeve. So the best thing right now, I think-” Pam’s voice cracked slightly, “is to stay put until he walks into our front door with a broken arm and that silly grin on his face. Colt, you remember when he was gone for an entire six months hunting that diamond smuggler when you were... let’s see, seven?”

“Yes Ma.”

“That’s my testament to his hardiness. You children need not worry. He’ll be fine,” said Pam, hugging Jessie and Colt to her bosom in the crater. Colt squirmed.

“Ma, I’m like, twenty-four.”

“But you are still my baby.”

“Am I your baby?”

“Of course Jess.” Pam straightened up, smiling. “We’ve got a lot to help the town with. So let’s not sit here crying like fools and get to it. Colt, what do you think we should do?”

Colt blinked in confusion. “What? I don’t call the shots around here. Tom does.” His mother shook her head.

“Nah. He’s not here, and you’re plenty capable of running some things now. So I’m giving you the authority to make some tough decisions - while I’m around, of course.” 

“Okay.” Colt shrugged. “I guess we should arrange a meeting at the town hall then?” 

Pam ruffled her son’s hair, the light of the morning sun washing over the scene and bathing everything in a fresh, cool glow, as if a new age had dawned on the town. They do grow up so fast.

“That’s my boy.”

***

Shelly hopped down from her perch on a large stone protruding from the ground, landing with a neat step. Tracking the meteor shower had been a success; now, all that was left was to see if the meteorites really held what the rumors said they did. Silently, she motioned for Spike and El Primo to follow. Even though it wasn’t extremely important to be quiet, stealth otherwise was of utmost importance. They were heading near civilization, and Shelly would prefer not to be caught and put into the slammer. 

“ _ Let’s go there before the citizens start becoming too curious _ ,” she hissed. 

It only took thirty minutes or so to reach Brawl Town, and then it was only a matter to skirting the grass bordering the town to reach the huge crater behind a squat building on the south side of town. It looked like a general store, she thought. A quick glance at the sign confirmed her statement. 

“ _ Where is everyone? _ ” asked El Primo, looking around. Indeed, it was strange for no one to be out and about, especially because it was already well into the morning in an American, hustle-bustle town. Shelly frowned, then shrugged. 

“ _ I don’t know. What-ever. I just have to get into that crater and look at the meteorite. El Primo, can you come with me? And Spike, keep watch. Don’t be afraid to shoot a spine or two into me if someone starts coming - actually, for the matter, don’t be afraid to shoot the someone. Do whatever it takes to make them go away. Okay, vamonos! _ ”

Shelly slid into the crater, leaving a small trail of scuffed sand in her wake, noting another pair of tracks in the hill. Mierda, had someone already come to take the treasure of the meteorite? She hoped not. As soon as the slope evened out enough, Shelly took to a jog, then a sprint, streaking toward the small black rock in the center. It took her way too much effort to stop her momentum at the bottom, she thought, swinging her arms around. Looking back, Primo wasn’t doing too well either. The violet-haired girl turned back at the meteorite and grinned.

A gleaming purple gem winked back at her, catching the sunlight in its faces, reflecting her own manic face in it. It was amazing as everyone said it was! Experimentally placing a hand on the gem, she determined it to be cool enough to try and pry it free of the ugly black mother rock encrusting it. Unfortunately, it seemed to be stuck fast. Not a big deal.

Shelly took out a pair of makeshift chisels and got to work. It didn’t matter if the jewel got a little scratched up in the process. She pulled again, yet found it stubbornly refusing to leave its cozy spot, like a child lying in bed in the morning, refusing to meet their mother. Shelly growled and paced around the rock. El Primo backed away, folding his arms over his chest defensively.

Finally she lit up. “ _ Hey Primo, can you lend a little muscle here? _ ” she said to the wrestler, who uncrossed his arms and nodded. “ _ Just need you to crack this open. Like a skull _ ,” she tacked on tactlessly, earning a wary glance from her ally. Nevertheless, he assumed a fighting stance, hand outstretched, knees bent, ready to chop down on the shell. With a sharp crack, El Primo brought his hand down. The gem glittered in the sunlight, liberated from it’s cage. 

“ _ Si! Gracias! Let’s get out of here before the town comes! _ ” she said, picking up the gem and placing it in her rucksack. With a rather undignified scramble, the two fugitives got themselves out of the hole, where Spike was waiting with a helping hand. 

“ _ I appreciate the sentiment, but I might get pricked _ ,” said El Primo, hauling himself up. “ _ Where to now? _ ”

“ _ We’ve got the gem, so we’re set on that. Uh, let’s go back to camp and hide it. It’s not like this town is going to miss it, anyways _ .” Lightly jogging backwards towards the prairie grass, Shelly waved at the town. “Thank you!” she said. Oh no, did she say it too loud? It looked like there was a lot of people coming from one of the buildings, arguing about something. That must be the town hall, she thought. It didn’t matter anyways. No one had taken notice. 

Taking over the town was going to be easier than she thought! 

***

“That was a total failure.” Colt flopped down on the edge of the crater. He had just come out of the Town Hall, with little luck in dealing with the unruly townspeople. Who knew that just then, Dynamike would come hauling in the same brilliantly purple gems? Now everyone wanted a piece of the action. There was just one thing -  _ these _ gems came from underground, seemingly transformed by the meteorite landing. So no one was interested in what Colt and Pam had to say about the mysterious gem in the meteorite, or what Piper had to say about the blazing inferno surrounding the whole situation. Well, actually, most people listened to Piper. However, before long, nearly all the residents were dusting off their old picks, and heading to the mine… which, considering it was run by Dynamike, wasn’t the most structurally sound mine in the world. 

“Ah’d have to agree with you on that,” said Piper, sauntering up behind the redhead, staring at the crater. “On top of that, it looks like someone’s taken this one.”

“WHAT?!” Colt squinted at the meteorite. Sure enough, it looked shattered, and there was no longer a gleam from the center of the crater. “How did you… what…”

“You forget that Ah’ve better vision than everybody here in town. But yea, looks like you’re too late to this one as well.” She giggled politely, which evolved into manic laughter, surely mocking Colt for something he had forgotten. Colt glared at her. 

“And we were only in that meeting for a little over an hour. Who could’ve done this? The rock was pretty hard, from what Jess said, and hardly anyone here is strong enough to pry it open just like that.”

“Some of the criminals around are pretty strong,” said Piper, musing.

“Bull’s not that bad. Besides, he lives in Retropolis.”

“Hmm. Maybe it was the new gal. They always do come out of the bushes faster than you expect.”

“Piper, Rosa was sitting next to you! She couldn’t have gotten here quick enough to steal an entire freaking gem, anyways.” 

Colt’s sentence was met with silence from the blonde beauty. In the awkwardness that ensued, he considered confronting Piper about what she was saying last night… until the lady suddenly snapped her eyes towards the grassland like a hawk locating prey, Piper pointed to a path in the grass. “Look, you’ve got a lead, Darling Mr. Sheriff.”

Colt got up, brushing sand off his pants and looking at the path in the grass, rubbing the scar on his chin. Sure enough, there was a very noticeable track where potential thieves had made off with the crystal. Colt walked towards it and picked up a lone empty shell. Bull’s signature weapon was always a shotgun.

“You might be right. Alright, I’ll be back in a bit. And then we can - “ 

Piper spun around on a heel, leaving the sheriff’s words hanging in the air. “Actually, Ah’m goin’ home.” Colt narrowed his eyes. “Good luck though,” she said, waving a gloved hand. 

Why did she have to be so insufferable? Still, she was valuable help. Pocketing the shell, Colt smirked. The new sheriff had his work cut out for him. He’d get his dad back, kick some bandit butt, and come back with the crystal to show everyone! Colt walked back into town, whistling a merry tune as he went.

If Colt was a little more observant, he would have noticed that the flattened grass was relatively fresh, and that the morning dew had been shaken from their leaves, unlike a path disturbed in the night. And if he had been a lot more thorough in his search, he would’ve been able to see a faint, but sure path of singed grass where his father had followed whatever was in the meteor.  _ If _ he had listened to Piper closer, too, and thought about it, he would have realized that her comment about the gem thieves had nothing to do with his father. But, the hunt was on. 

Just a sheriff’s first day on the job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Notes  
> \- Shelly and El Primo are speaking Spanish with each other. In this case, stuff will usually be in italics.


	2. The Meeting / The Kerchief / The Discovery

While our hero is checking his guns in preparation for the hunt, let us go down underground where the commotion is happening, and perhaps recap on the events of the disastrous Town Hall meeting, where Colt’s first duty as sheriff had been rudely interrupted by one of the oldest residents in Brawl Town.

“Alright, so Pam, Jess, and I went to look at the meteorite. It doesn’t seem dangerous for the time being, but it does have this purple crystal in the center of it.” Colt drew a rough sketch on the blackboard of the gem in question. “Here’s a bit of a summary of a drawing, but I reckon it’s best for us to show you ourselves.”

The old, wooden schoolhouse had, at the moment, been repurposed into a meeting hall, with several of the children in actual seats. Most people stood in between the desks and on the outside margins of the room. The place was packed;it looked like almost the entire town was here - yet seeing it now, there weren’t many people to speak of. 

Of course, there was Colt, Jess, Pam, and Piper, leading the council without Tom there. Two of the robots were there as well - Barley and Piper’s loyal servant, Rico, looking awkward among the humans. There was also Rosa, the local botanist and gardener, newly graduated from Arizona State, standing next to Piper. Only god knew why she chose to stay in the lawless desert, knowingly turning away from the countless opportunities beyond the dusty horizon that awaited her. Even Mortis was here. Perhaps the meteor shower had him ruffled as well; if it did, it didn’t show on his pale, anemic face. He appeared as he always did - watching everyone else with cautious, gray eyes, calculating something that only he knew.

“This purple gem,” Mortis finally said, placing a shriveled, bony hand on the teacher’s desk in front of Colt. “Do you know what properties it had? Is it dangerous?” He narrowed his eyes. “Is it useful?”

“Well, we really only _ looked _ at it. It did glow. But otherwise we don’t know. I mean, I’m not a geologist or anything,” Colt said, looking around the room. “Is Carl here?”

A scattered “no” resounded from around the room as heads turned to look around. Carl must be one of the people - or robots - who skipped the meeting. Dynamike wasn’t there either, observed Colt. The loud old-timer wasn’t here, which was probably the explanation for the relative calm of the meeting. The sheriff was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud  _ slam _ from the front of the building.

“Y’all, look at what I found!” Speak of the devil. Here he was, and he was holding up a cluster of crystals in one gloved hand, colored the same purple hue as the one encountered in the meteorite. Gasps from across the room. Colt shifted, trying to get a better look amongst the crowd. Perhaps they were just common amethysts? No, he thought. Definitely the same. But they were different as well. Not quite the same.

A buzz of conversation drifted up from the crowd as friends and family leaned into each other, whispering about what Dynamike had said. A couple of the townies asked Dynamike if they could touch it, and he relented with a beaming, manic grin on his face. The crystal was passed around the room, scrutinized by old and young alike in awe. 

“There’s mo’ in that ol’ mine!” cried Dynamike, jumping up and down in excitement. “Plenny mo’! You know alla the quartz, rock, whatever it was, it got turned purple sometime last night. There’s enough crystals ta go around the whole town, it seems like!” 

The buzz turned into a swarm as people started getting up, glancing at each other, smiling about the good fortune. Brawl Town had not had much luck with business in the past twenty years. Perhaps Dynamike’s find could help them with their predicament. 

Colt looked around at all the people, some of whom were already streaming out of the door. Something needed to be done to reign the crowd back in. This meeting was not going to be ruined, godammit! He climbed on top of the table, pinwheeling his arms for stability for a brief second, then assumed a “leader’s” stance. 

“Wait!” he cried, reaching out to the audience. “What about the one in the meteor?”

Silence.

“Shouldn’t we go see that one first? I mean, it’s on the surface, so it’s going to be safer to get away. Are you really going to follow Dynamike into that mine? We haven’t checked the safety of it in years!”

The crowd considered it, their voices bubbling down to a whisper once again. This peace was short-lived. Soon, it had escalated into a conversation, then a storm, a flurry of indistinguishable voices. Finally, someone spoke above the roiling surface.

“You’ve got some fair points there, my friend, but I’d like to object.” It was Rosa, speaking in her light, lilting voice, which, at the moment, was obnoxious to an unreal degree. She paused, as if looking over the ingredients to a malicious recipe before combining them.

“I believe we will be perfectly fine in that mine. Ever since Carl was built, he’s been helping Dynamike keep track of the safety issues and fixing them so they’re up to date. It’s reasonable to assure ourselves that the mines are safer than they used to be. Here’s an example. Dynamike, when the meteorites landed, did the caves experience any sort of damage? Any collapses or cave-ins?”

Dynamike shook his head, and Rosa continued, satisfied. “While your claim is true that it will be safer for everyone if we checked out the surface one instead, the mine ones, if Dynamike is right, will allow everyone to see it for themselves quicker. I will remind you that the one you speak about is only one among many. In the mines, it seems like there is plenty to go around, and everyone will be able to see and interact with the crystals on their own time.”

Oh god, Rosa was launching into a full-blown speech. Someone stop her.

“On top of that, there is another factor at play. I’ve only been here for three months, but Brawl Town, to my knowledge, has not seen any sort of significant expansion in decades. For the future of this place, I do not think it will hurt to investigate the gems, in case they can be turned for a profit. Decades ago, you ran out of gold to sell, and everyone left for greener pastures. Now, you have something new to bring people back in. Will we accept this chance, or will we let it pass by and perish in the sun?” Rosa looked out to the people, who nodded in agreement. 

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this - and so early too! - but as the sheriff, we’re looking to you to make some  _ smart _ decisions. Don’t waste all your chances to prove yourself. As for us,” she said, turning toward the door, “We’ll make like a tree, and  _ leaf _ .”

The crowd left the schoolhouse, bustling over the discovery. Colt watched them in dismay. 

“How could - what - I -” he stammered, only breaking out of the loop when he felt a nudge at his arm. Piper passed the crystal to him, and reluctantly, he took it in his hands and observed it, turning it over.

Sure enough, this rock was the same shade as the one in the meteorite, boasting that elegant violet hue with confidence. But up close now, Colt could identity the difference, even in the low light of the schoolhouse, especially in the low light of the schoolhouse. 

“This one doesn’t glow.” he said bluntly, giving it to Jessie, who nodded in confirmation. “It’s different from the one we saw.”

Piper raised a skeptical brow. “Really now?” 

“Yeah. I’ll show you, if you want to come.” 

“Of course.” 

Colt, Piper, Pam, and Jessie exited the room, leaving the crystal to shimmer in a ray of light shining through the window, sitting on the desk in its own mysterious brilliance. 

***

Rosa returned to her home and dashed inside to her room, hastily taking off her blouse and pants, swapping it for an old, loose t-shirt and overalls. She glanced at the plants on her windowsill, who were happily soaking up the sun’s rays, and smiled. 

“Well, I don’t want to get myself all dirtied up with my nice clothes,” she mused. “Desert living’s tough enough without having to wash the dust out of your pockets every day. I wish you knew about the troubles of human living, Mario.” Rosa knew that talking to her plants didn’t actually help them grow any better - in fact, she did an entire research project on that subject, with no avail - but that didn’t stop her from talking to her favorite sprout - a strange rose-thistle hybrid. 

It certainly was hard leaving her entire life behind her when she settled in Brawl Town not even a year ago. After college, she had always planned on leaving the country and leading the world in botanical research, on the fringes of bioengineering and horticulture. But the events happened quickly, and life threw a few fast punches at her that even she couldn’t dodge, leaving her career in shambles, and her doctoral research project missing. Rosa scowled.

Yes, she had to get it back. The institute of education would never let her hear the end of it if she failed to report back by the end of the year. So Rosa went on a search to bring back the specimen, which landed her in a town in the middle of nowhere, unmarked on any map Rosa looked at save for the local ones, which bore no resemblance to the commonly accepted maps of the world. Not even Google provided answers, and come to think of it, the internet quickly cut out as soon as she entered the town - not that Rosa really minded. However, it proved to be the most plausible location to lay low while she tracked the organism - off the grid, safe, and on the plus side, the citizens were friendly enough.

She looked outside wistfully at her greenhouse, her neat rows of lettuce and corn. Her garden, beautiful as it was, was only around for her to kill time until she completed her mission. Rosa shook her head and laid a hand on the drawer before her. She should get to searching for it sooner than later... 

Well, that could wait. Now, her most important thing was to keep herself occupied before then. It was probably more effective to wait for it to come to her rather than the other way around. Rosa pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose.

“I’ll be back before you know it, dearies.”

The indigo-haired woman stepped back out into the desert sun and headed towards the run-down mine. 

***

Dynamike’s mine, as Colt said, was not the safest place in the world; however, as Rosa said, it was not the most dangerous, either. It had improved significantly ever since the invention of Carl four months ago, a robot intended to be Dynamike’s personal assistant in his geological adventures. It was this robot that Dynamike stood next to currently, while surveying the groups of people who wandered into the cave in search of violet gems, carrying sacks, picks, and chisels.

Carl beeped, snapping Dynamike’s attention toward him. “According to my calculations, the amount of fire escape routes available in the mineshaft are not sufficient for the amount of people in here. Should I do something about it?”

Dynamike chuckled. “Ho ho ho! There’s no need ta worry ‘bout that. Everyone’ll be fine, so don’t ya worry.”

“I suppose.” Carl smiled, rays of light shining from his eyes. The smile on his face was permanent; the real way to tell the robot’s emotions were through his eyes, which shone according to the degree of emotions he was feeling, and had shutters to accompany it. Since he couldn’t do anything about his face, Carl was an infamous employer of sarcasm. “Anyone who’s stupid enough to come down here might as well accept the risks associated with it,” he lisped.

Dynamike laughed again, but this time a little nervously. It was a long time building Carl, and by the time he was completed, the robot had a completely jumbled up personality due to Dynamike’s own scatterbrained mind. While he was intelligent and perfectly capable of many “human” things, he was also self-centered and downright narcissistic at times. Still, Carl remained loyal to Dynamike, and he found the robot to be a reliable companion underground. His love of geology, programmed into his circuits, proved useful on an occasion such as now, as Dynamike pulled a small purple crystal from the cave wall beside him, handing it to Carl. 

“So, ye have any ideas ‘bout these crystals yet?” asked Dynamike. Carl’s eyes dimmed. 

“Not much information as of now. These crystals were formed in place of the giant clear quartz here, but I don’t know if their structure is still the same. It seems like they were transformed by the meteor shower. I have yet to determine its elemental and crystalline composition.”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t know what it is made of yet,” said Carl, walking over to a rock-hewn desk with tools scattered all over it. “But I’m about to run some tests. Care to join me?”

“Sure thing, pally!” 

***

Back on the surface, Colt was finishing preparing for a day under the sun, tracking the supposed criminal. He holstered his revolvers and with a quick check, he confirmed that his lunch was neatly packed into a large yellow kerchief. “Okay, this should be everything,” he said, letting out a breath. “I don’t want to screw this up.” 

Rosa’s words echoed in his head. “The sheriff had to make smart decisions.” Colt scowled. It wasn’t fair for her to criticize him like this; it was only his first day, and besides, it wasn’t even going to be permanent. Sooner rather than later, Colt knew that he was going to be able to find his dad and then things would go right back to normal. Sure, it was a given that he would have to fill that role someday. That day just wasn’t today.

Colt walked downstairs where Pam was poring over some blueprints with Jessie, who waited anxiously for her mother to give approval for the safety of the next invention. After a moment, Pam nodded, and Jessie whooped. “Yes!” she yelled, rolling it up and kissing Pam on the cheek. “Thanks Ma!” Pam turned towards Colt.

“Hey, I’m going to be off now,” he said, scratching his head. Pam patted his back. 

“Good luck. Be back before dinner, okay?”

“Yeah, I will. Bye Ma.” Colt waved, and with a running step, he was off. The late morning sun was just beginning to get hot. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time to go looking for something in the desert,” he thought. “But I have to catch them fast. Time’s running out, and the more I wait, the farther they will have gotten.”

Without another thought, the young colt set off into the prairie grass where a path led into the great, expansive unknown. 

***

Afternoon.

The sun beat down on Colt’s back. 

No one in sight.

The redhead sat down in the meager shade of a saguaro cactus, fanning himself. This search had been harder than he expected. The clear path in the grass eventually faded out as soon as he got into the sandier portions of the land surrounding Brawl Town, and he found himself getting lost. Colt pulled out a canteen of water, slaking his thirst. Then he pulled out a crude map. 

If there was something he knew about, it was the landscape surrounding the town. Ever since he was young, he liked to play fight in the desert with his friends, holding two sawed-down pieces of dry wood that always gave him splinters, pretending to be the sheriff that caught criminals and put them in the slammer, the image of justice. Colt smiled at the memory. 

But now wasn’t a game. Colt had a mission to complete. With a grunt, he rose from the sand. Was it just him, or did he feel hotter than when he sat down? He looked around, and found the source of his confusion. The cactus he was sitting under was gone.

What the hell?

Colt squinted toward the horizon where the heat haze daze had gathered, wavering images of mirrored lakes over the yellow sand, under the vast blue sky. Aw man, was he already seeing mirages? This was bad. He had to get home. But what was that…? 

A moving cactus, just north of where Colt was standing. Shuffling on its own toward a point only it knew in the monotony of the orange sands. Walking. Living. 

Colt’s eyes snapped open in realization, alert. The sentient cactus! If he had a lead now, this was definitely it. Careful not to waste his energy, the sheriff walked toward the cactus. Closer, inching closer. Colt needed answers, and he wanted them now.

Suddenly, the cactus halted. It slowly turned to face Colt. Hollow eyes met blue, a blank smile carved into the surface of the cactus. Now that Colt was looking, he noted that it was wearing brown shorts and a purple vest.  _ Can’t believe I didn’t see that earlier _ , he thought. 

A faint pop, and the cactus had another one of its spine grenades in its hand, just like the ones from yesterday. “Crap,” hissed Colt. His hands went to his guns. In a place with no cover, was he going to get his butt kicked by a cactus once more? His only hope, he thought, aiming both revolvers at the advancing plant, was possibly that purple haired girl who had pushed him out of the way the first time... 

The cactus pulled its arm back, winding up for a throw. Colt flicked the trigger. Both locked eyes as battle approached, imminent. The sheriff’s opponent was about to throw when a high voice cut through the air.

“¡Parar!” 

Colt snapped his head toward the noise. Too late. The figure was already leaping over him, a silhouette against the sun, violet hair streaming out from behind her in her ponytail, red bandanna jauntily waving in the wind. Gracefully, she landed in front of Colt, causing the cactus to fumble his throw. The grenade burst above the pair, sending a shower of spines down on both Colt and the purple-haired girl. 

The woman standing before Colt recovered quickly, striding towards the cactus, who cocked its head, and shrugged after a brief conversation. Colt brushed himself off. The landing left quite a bit of dust on him. Finally, with a sigh, the girl turned towards Colt, walking back to the man, eyeing him suspiciously. 

“Why do you come to the desert?” she demanded through a lilting Spanish accent. Colt frowned.

“Miss, I’m the sheriff around here,” he replied. 

“I know that. I mean why are you here.”

“That’s... exactly why I’m here. I’m just doing patrols, because I’m the sheriff of the town.” Slightly elongating the last few words of his sentence. The girl snorted and crossed her arms, turning her face to eye him from the corner of her vision. Man, for a lifesaver, she really wasn’t friendly about it. If she knew he was the sheriff, then she didn’t have anything to be so suspicious about. 

Wait.

“How do you know I’m the sheriff? I’ve literally only seen you once, and you left right after that incident.” The girl’s eyes widened as if caught in some act, and she glanced away for an uncomfortable silence, looking down at her hands, which were… really dirty for some reason, as if she had been gardening or something. After a long moment, she turned her head back to Colt.

“Because. It says on your vest.” She pointed at the six-pointed star badge over his chest, which very clearly printed “Sheriff.” Colt could have died right there, blushing over in spite of the already-scorching sun.

“Right. I’m sorry.” Colt cleared his throat. Now that the awkwardness was spent, time to get down to business. “Okay. So I’m actually looking for a thief. Or a criminal. Something like that,” he said, watching the meager clouds as he thought of the right words to say. “Some guy made off with a gem earlier this morning, and I’m trying to get it back, and possibly arrest or fine him in the process. Thievery is no joke.” 

The purple haired girl watched with trepidation as he produced a single shotgun shell from his pocket. “I think we’ve got a lead,” he said, looking directly at her.

Again, the girl tensed up, this time even more so, starting to play with the strands of her hair. Colt frowned. Why was she so weird about this? It’s not like  _ she _ had a shotgun - in fact, she wasn’t carrying any weapon of any sort with her. Perhaps she was just shy, like most people who lived in the wild. If that was the case, Colt would continue talking just to fill the void.

“There’s a guy we know whose had a bad track with the law,” he said. “Bull’s the name, and his signature weapon is a shotgun. Have you seen anyone else today?”

The violet-haired girl blew out a sigh of relief. “What does he look like?” she said, staring at the horizon. 

“He’s pretty big, got black hair, usually scowling.” Colt mimed an angry glare, using his fingers as eyebrows.

The woman shook her head. “No, I have not seen anyone of the sort.” The sheriff furrowed his finger brows, then put them down again.

“Okay. Um. Well, let me know if you see anything when you’re wandering around the desert. Brawl Town’s only a ways to the east of here, where we’re standing right now, so feel free to just drop by and give a tip. What’s your name, Miss?”

A long pause. “...Shelly,” she finally replied, not giving a last name. Well, it was alright. Colt smiled warmly. 

“Thanks. I’m Colt, Colt Junker. It was nice meeting you,” he said. “Oh, by the way, Shelly, it looks like your bandanna is ripped?”

Shelly looked down, touching the fabric unconsciously. managing to undo the seams that so precariously held it together. It fell from her chest, landing with an unceremonious _ plop _ on the ground.

“Oh no,” she breathed. One of her only possessions from her family, ripped apart! It must have been damaged when she threw herself in front of Colt, shredded by Spike’s deadly spines. Colt leaned down, handling the cloth with care as he picked it up. 

“It’s a pretty cute bandanna,” he said, turning it over in his hands, noting the skull pattern on the edges. He carefully folded it and gave it to Shelly, who looked like she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown, almost hyperventilating. 

“Aren’t you hot?” Shit, of course she was hot! Colt would be six feet underground before he knew someone who didn’t wilt under the bare sun. He reached into his pack, closing his fingers around something soft.

“Here,” he said, handing his yellow kerchief to Shelly. She cautiously accepted it, feeling the material before tying it around her neck, tossing her hair out of the way. Colt grinned.

“Eh, you should adjust it. Like - Okay, no, here.” The man suddenly had his hands up, smoothing out the cloth and brushing purple hair out of the way, making Shelly blush at the proximity. “There. Hey, you don’t look half bad with yellow. It matches your hair,” he said, leaning back and admiring his handiwork. 

Shelly remained silent, looking off to the side. The way she shyly looked around, the brown eyes flicking up to Colt’s face every now and then before flitting away, it was almost… cute. The sheriff straightened up. 

“Okay, you can keep that. I’m going on my merry way then.” Colt stopped and flashed a cheeky smile. “I’ll be seeing you around, Shelly.” 

Rejuvenated, Colt stepped back out into the desert, back on his search for Bull. Shelly watched him disappear into the distance, his back melding into the shifting mirages of the horizon, until a sharp prod at her back prompted her to turn around. Spike. She had nearly forgotten about him.

“ _ Let’s go back to the camp _ ,” she sighed, fingering the kerchief. “ _ Let’s forget about the second time I saved the person who I’m trying to beat _ .” Shelly shook her head. Suddenly, a strange sound emanated from Spike - short, dry barks of… laughter? Was the plant laughing at her? 

“ _ Stop it _ ,” she growled, as the cactus continued to giggle. “ _ I don’t even know why you’re laughing _ .” Spike nodded toward the horizon where the sheriff had gone, and winked. Shelly blushed out of embarrassment.

“ _ Oh, you are  _ so _ going to get a load of bullets in your face when we get back _ .” 

***

“Good news everybody! I’ve made a breakthrough!” 

Carl held up a purple crystal, the fragment faintly sparking, little jolts of electricity running through it. His own beams of light shone a ray through the cave with excitement. Dynamike laughed.

“Don’t get carried ‘way now, Carl. What’s the rundown?”

Carl placed the gem down on the table on a strange device attached to a display with numbers on it, watching the digits shoot up in watts when the robot struck it lightly with a pickaxe.

“Amazing. The crystals produce electricity,” said Dynamike. Carl nodded.

“Luminescence as well. My thought is that if you tap it exactly right, the crystals start emanating energy on various scales. This one just seems to be exceptional in this cave - most of the others I’ve tested don’t have as strong of a reaction.” 

Dynamike stroked his beard. “‘magine the applications fo’ these.” He picked up the gem, holding it in the light of a lantern. “Carl, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“To use them as fuel sources for Barley and me?” Carl was always in sync with the eccentric inventor.

“‘xactly. Give me a week ta figure this out. We’re going ta have ya’ll a better battery in no time.” Carl shone. “‘Right, on another note, did you manage ta figure out the composition of these minerals?”

The robot gestured toward a collection of gems on the table. “It’s got many of the same properties as the quartz crystals,” he said, handing Dynamike a chart halfway filled in with pencil scratches. “White streak, varying hardness around seven, and no clear cleavage. I’m sure that it only changed in appearance and on some molecular level, causing it to produce more energy when struck than given. However, it’s imperative to hit it the right way - these are very fragile,” Carl said, taking up a cracked on in his hand. 

“Right. Quartz is ‘nly silicoon and oxygen, so it shouldn’t be too bad. And the oxygen’s bonded firmly with the silicoon so there’s no problem with oxidization. I ‘spect there might be mo’ silicoon than oxygen even, given the ‘lectrical properties. Well Carl, I’m proud o’ the work ya did today. Ye got any mo’ o’ those quality gems?”

Carl handed a bag to Dynamike, the contents clinking around in the cloth. The old miner nodded. 

“I suppose I’ll get ta work then. If ye wants, ya can run some more tests with’em. Right now, makers gots ta make. See ya.”

Dynamike climbed up a shaky ladder to the surface, leaving Carl behind in the dark, dust motes swirling behind him. That was fine, thought Carl, turning back to his work. He cracked his metal knuckles and grabbed a nearby piece off the wall. Time to figure out the mysteries of the earth. 

***

In another section of the cave, the resident botanist had just finished gathering some crystals, wiping sparkling, violet dust off her sleeves and pants. 

“Whew!” she said, piling the gems into a bag. “Lots of hard work today. This should be enough to some experiments on.” Rosa smiled to herself, observing her reflection in a large gem near her, then left the mine, climbing on a creaky ladder.

The surface was hotter than underground, she quickly realized, and although it was getting to be evening, the sun almost setting, it was still warm compared to the chill caves. After a quick walk, Rosa reached her home, noting that the sheriff had also entered the town around that time. It didn’t look like he had any luck today, judging from his dejected expression.

Well, that wasn’t what Rosa was here to think about. Dumping the crystals onto her desk, the indigo-haired woman plopped down into a chair and began to sort out the crystals. 

“These are going to get tested on, these look nicer than the others, so the next time I’m out of town I’ll see how much I can get them valued for, and these…” Rosa frowned. She didn’t really know why she picked up the rest of them; little pebbles of dark rock, only studded with the gems, corrupted fragments of ore. Perhaps earlier they looked cute, and she felt pitiful for them, because she knew no one would pick them up, but now they were sitting on her desk with no apparent purpose. Rosa gazed outside, trying to formulate an idea. Should she put them back outside? Should she just trash them? Rosa hated having clutter in her house.

Suddenly the botanist’s eyes lit up, and she picked up one of her potted flowers - the rose-thistle hybrid she called Mario. It was just beginning to bloom. “This’ll look nice on you,” she said, placing the pebbles in a ringed necklace around the plant. “There. You looked pretty before, but there’s nothing wrong with a few jewels here and there.” Rosa looked at a clock perched on her wall.

“Seems like it’s time for a little shut-eye. I’ll get you a drink, and then it’s nighty-night.”

Rosa watered her plants, humming as she did so, checking them every so often for signs of damage.  _ They look happy in the desert _ , she thought. _ Unlike me _ . She set down the watering can with a  _ thunk _ .

“At least you have each other.”

***

It was late evening when Colt finally arrived at home, weary after a long trip in the sun. It must have shown when he entered the common room, because as soon as he knew it, Pam was pulling up a chair for him. Even the aloof Jessie poked her head out of her room to see him. Colt sat down heavily.

“How was the search?” she said, pushing a glass of water toward her son, who accepted it gratefully, drinking the water with greedy gulps.

“It was fine, I guess.” Colt set down the glass, immediately seeming more energetic. “Didn’t manage to apprehend anyone, however.” 

Pam nodded. “It often takes Tom a bit of time to track down people, too.” Colt sighed, a faraway look in his eyes before he perked up again. 

“I saw the purple-haired girl from yesterday again.” Pam tensed. “She was with the cactus today. They might be traveling together. In fact, it might just be that the cactus attacked me yesterday because he didn’t know who I was,” Colt said, already forming theories about them. “I’m a bit embarrassed to say this, but Shelly - that’s her name - saved my life again today when the cactus attacked me.” He giggled to himself. 

“Shelly,” Pam repeated. Was she the wanted one in the newspaper?

“What?” 

_ But she’s saved the life of her son twice now. _ “...Nothing.” 

Colt shrugged. “Okay. I’m headed off to bed then. See you tomorrow, Ma.” He paused at the foot of the stairs. “I feel like I’m forgetting something I wanted to say… Hm. Um… oh, that’s right. I’m pretty sure I gave the yellow kerchief I used for lunch to Shelly because she looked like she was having a heat stroke in the sun. So I’ll go buy another one tomorrow.”

Pam smiled and waved her hand in mock exasperation. “Oh, it’s no big deal. Goodnight, and rest well.”

One day, one night, one somewhat successful search. Colt climbed under the covers yet again and prepared for sleep, the moon shining a gentle ray of light over the town. He didn’t manage to catch any criminal, but at least he’s made a friend in the desert. After all, wasn’t that what the sheriff was for? To unite the people, and if push comes to shove, defend the people from danger? He smiled, remembering the shy eyes of Shelly as she played with her hair, as he drifted off into sleep. 

I wonder if I’ll see her again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random things  
> \- The chapter titles don't usually mean a lot, I just suck at naming things.  
> \- Sometimes I cringed so hard when I was writing Rosa's dialogue.   
> \- It was halfway through writing this that I realized that Carl actually has legs (I thought he just rode around in his minecart because he had no legs)   
> \- Also Bibi is confirmed not Bull's sister?? So now I have to rewrite her character huh   
> \- Hope I did Dynamike's dialogue okay.  
> See u next week!! :^)


	3. The Sniper / The Jealous

Two days had passed since then, and Colt was getting a little frustrated. Not only had the last few days been fruitless, they had been painful; painful to walk under the scorching desert sun, and painful to see the citizens of Brawl Town turn toward the mine and Dynamike for assistance other than the Junker family.

Well, I guess things are a bit different without my dad around, thought Colt, standing in the general store in front of a wall of brightly colored cloths hanging from nails driven into the wood. He reached a hand out, looking through the hues. Red, yellow, green, purple… Colt sighed. Which one do I pick..? His hair was already red, and he didn’t like the color green particularly much. That left yellow and purple.

“Why it is so hard to choose a freaking color!?” he exclaimed, earning a worried glance from Piper at the counter. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t wear your mind out too much now, dahrlin’. You’ve still got the whole day ahead of you,” said Piper, organizing some boxes of ammunition and neatly stacking them in a cupboard. “Ah thought your favorite color was yellow. Besides, purple costs more.” 

Colt tilted his head. Was it now? “Yeah. you’re right.” He took the roll of cloth to the counter, Piper readying a pair of scissors, snip-snipping the shears in his face playfully before starting to cut a perfect square out of it, the tool making small sounds as she worked. 

“So um… how’s life?” Colt said with a little, nervous laugh. 

Piper continued with her cutting, unresponsive. Finally, without looking up, she spoke. 

“The usual,” she answered, her voice monotone.

The blonde fell silent again. The  _ snip-snip _ of scissors was the only sound in the general store, barely filling up the void. Looks like she doesn’t really want to talk, thought Colt, allowing his eyes to wander the scene.

The general store was a small building, built in the early days of Brawl Town, yet it still held its original respect. Crammed with various tools and bits, the establishment was a one-stop serves all for most everything the town needed. It was no surprise that the store, founded by the de La Prims generations ago, was a major contributing factor to their wealth. 

The head of the de La Prims, Old Manson “Manny” de La Prim, Colt realized, was getting rather old. And then Piper would likely be the next in line to run the general store. Now that he thought about it, it was Piper’s face he saw when he walked into the front door lately, and Piper’s eyes that looked so bored behind the counter. Her blank, dazed eyes followed the line she was cutting in the cloth until, with a final  _ snip _ , she completed the square. Piper held it up, assessing her handiwork, and, satisfied, passed it to Colt. 

“That’ll be… a dollar seventy,” she said, picking at her nails. As he fished for a wallet, Colt frowned. 

“Hey… are you alright? You’re picking at your fingers.” Piper narrowed her eyes, stopping the action. 

“Ah could be better, Ah reckon.” She shifted her glance away from Colt even as he handed her a bunch of coins. “It’s nothing serious.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” 

“Are you  _ really _ ?”

Piper sighed. “No. But what can Ah do ‘bout it?” Colt stroked his chin. Then, he lit up.

“Sure, you might not be able to do anything about it, but we can do something together. When does your shift end?”

“...Noon?”

Colt gave a thumbs up. “Nice. Okay, meet me by the trees when you can. Bring your gun and a couple bullets.” Before Piper could say no, he was out the door, dashing off to his next errand. She sighed again, this time smiling wistfully. 

“That boy just don’t give up, does he? Wait until it gets to be his worst trait. Well then, Ah guess Ah should start unpackin’ these.” With a grimace, Piper took out a blade and cut into a nearby crate. Good riddance.

***

As soon as the sun hit the spot directly above the town, and Barley was stepping into the doorway to take over the job, Piper was out of there, rushing home to get her stuff organized. Almost skipping, she ran down the street, the air rushing behind her. Suddenly, she resumed a walk as she approached the de La Prim property. 

Standing grandly at the end of the neighborhood, the de La Prim house was only a short walk away from the general store, despite plans to make it into one building. No matter - it was still accessible enough for the shopkeepers over the years. The building was painted an immaculate white, seeming to chastise the other rough, brown houses for their indecency. A large veranda guarded its entrance, decorated with neat little chairs and tables for when the evening gossip mood struck the family. Piper stepped up to the door and let herself in. 

“Ah’m home!” she announced, waiting for an answer. None came, and she took the opportunity to run up to her room. That was weird; usually, the servant of the house would yell or beep back to affirm her statement, or her father would cough loudly from his upstairs bedroom. Well, that wasn’t a big deal. Perhaps she could avoid her family in this manner…

“Hello Piper.” A metal figure stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed defensively over a belt loaded with bullets. His one eye in the shape of an “x” stared apathetically down at the blonde, not moving, not blinking as it remained frozen behind a purple bandanna. The two were locked in stalemate as both refused to budge. Finally Piper raised her eyebrows.

“Ricochet. Are you going to just stand there like Saint Peter at the gate or are you goin’ to move? Ah kind of need you to scootch over if Ah want to get past…” Ricochet blinked, but relented. Piper stepped past him, skipping over to her room. She placed her hand on the doorknob, ready to slip inside, when Ricochet’s monotone voice sounded again. 

“Your father wants a word with you.” Piper scowled. 

“Tell ‘im Ah’m having none of it,” she said, setting her items down on her bed and hastily changing into a shorter, hardier, dress and combat boots. Slinging a bag around her shoulder, she checked it twice for bullets. Yes. Okay, got them. She reached for her rifle as Ricochet entered the room, pushing the door open rudely.

“Ah do declare! Don’t you knock when you come into people’s rooms?” she growled, aiming the gun at Ricochet in mock aggression. “Ah won’t hesitate~”

Ricochet’s eye remained emotionless. “I do not need to knock. I am not a living thing, like you, so it is fine.” Piper snorted.

“That’s a heap of mess if Ah ever heard it! We all know clear as day that any robot programmed by Dynamike might as well be any other bona fide citizen of Brawl Town,” she retorted. “It is absolutely not okay for you to disturb a lady no matter what, anyways. If you will excuse me, Ah’ll get goin’ now.”

“Where are you going.” The robot’s monotone voice, usually devoid of inflection, always irritated Piper. He blocked her now, standing in front of Piper in the doorway.

“The woods.” She moved to the right, hoping to find a way out beside his slim frame.

“Why.” Ricochet mirrored her, moving right to create another obstacle.

Piper stamped her foot. “It’s none of your damn business and you know it, If Father says it is, you can tell him to shove it up his behind, because we both know you made that up.” Finally, Ricochet relented, moving sideways to let the princess out. “Ah’ll be back before you know it, so there’s no need to worry, ya big chunk of metal. Bye!” With that, she scurried downstairs, slamming the front door in her escape. 

***

The woods were a popular getaway for the residents of the town. Though by no means a forest, the trees clustered together just enough to form an oasis of shade, surrounding a small hill that rose over the flat landscape. It was unusual for a group of trees to grow so far away from the rest, but here we were; just like Brawl Town, they were the hardiest and most determined of their species, scrounging a life together where no one wanted. 

Currently, Colt sat on a rock, resting face in his hands as he listened to the occasional birdsong float down from the canopy, bathed in green from the shadow of the leaves. Piper had said noon, and the sun was high up in the sky now, sending its death rays down and forcing Colt to take shelter in the shade; as of yet, however, nobody was seen between the trunks and trees. Maybe she had to do the other shift, he thought. Her father was being awfully harsh on her recently.

“Howdy!” Colt jolted as a voice appeared at his side.

Or Piper could just be sneaking around in the bushes. 

“Wow, you gave me a scare there. What took you so long?” Colt said, stretching. 

“Ah got held up by the ol’ robo-butler-servant guy,” she responded. “What do you have planned?”

“Just going to go and shoot cans, like we always do. You down?”

“Darlin’, Ah’ll be six feet underground before Ah give up sharpshootin’. Let’s go!” Piper ran deeper into the forest, with Colt close behind her. She knew the way well, as did her companion; they zig-zagged through trees and bushes, avoiding the pitfalls and the rocks that dotted the familiar, scarcely-detectable path. The girl in front of Colt eventually slowed down to a stop, inhaling the air of a clearing near the center of the woods. 

Here was a place that Colt and Piper often liked to visit, ever since they were young; a large clearing carpeted with grass, the sunlight shining through breaks in the leaves. A smooth, flat stone lay partially buried in the dirt at one end, and a log had been hauled in by Colt to stand targets on. One side of the clearing gently sloped up into the hill at the center of the woods. 

The two started stacking old tin cans on the log, Piper making a neat, practiced pyramid with hers, and Colt simply throwing them haphazardly onto his end of the log with no order. With a nod, he gave Piper the go ahead, bowing.

“Ladies first.” 

Piper giggled, skipping to the opposite edge of the clearing, and took out her rifle, loading it with a bullet and cocking the weapon. Even this far from the target, Colt knew that Piper could see her mark clearly, blessed with good vision among the plebian townspeople. She narrowed her eyes as she adjusted her trajectory. Probably factoring in the gravity and wind, thought Colt, almost leaning in to see how she aimed true every time. Piper squeezed the trigger.

_ Crack _ ! With a loud boom, the can was knocked off its perch by the bullet, flying in the air beyond the log. Piper whooped. Practically flying, she bounded over to assess the damage. 

“Aw man, you’re really giving me some tough competition here, aren’t you?” said Colt, preparing his revolver. Piper just laughed, holding up the can, blown clean through, before tossing it away into the bushes with a multitude of other mangled bits.

“You know Ah can’t let you win,” she retorted. Colt pouted.

“Not even once?”

“Nope!” 

“Alright, well, consider that challenge accepted.” Colt aimed his revolvers. Steady, steady… Colt knew he wasn’t as great as his friend at aiming one shot; he preferred to rattle off a few at once and hope at least some of them hit. I guess that’s why I’m practicing, he thought. Piper might have a natural talent for shooting stuff up from far away, but I’ve got power. The lady grinned like a mad cat, sitting off to the side, almost teasing Colt. He took aim, fired… and missed. 

“Wow, that was bad,” he mumbled, taking aim for another shot. “Any advice?”

Piper shrugged. “Don’t panic, Ah reckon.”

“Riiight. Because that’s always useful.” Colt squinted, and pulled the trigger.  _ Pew _ ! This time, the shot hit. Colt smiled, satisfied, as Piper nodded. 

“See, you’ve got it. Don’t lose faith in yourself - Ah think that’s the big one.” She walked up to Colt, checking her own rifle. “Ah mean, you also practically just got those revolvers, so you’ll get used to them. Hopefully.”

“Hopefully,” Colt repeated. Piper nodded, getting into position to take another shot at it. Her eyes focused again, like an eagle spotting its prey from miles away. Colt liked it when she was concentrating on something; it was such a contrast from the snarky, snobbish Piper of Brawl Town, and it was satisfying to see this genuine other side of her. It was like she was in another world. 

It was a few seconds before Colt heard a faint rustling sound to the left, behind him. Something decently large was moving around in the woods, and if Colt wasn’t hearing things, it was getting closer to them. Piper would probably hear it, he thought, glancing at her and her focused eyes. Wait. 

No, she wasn’t hearing anything at all, lost in her own world where only she and her target existed. Colt reached out, touching her shoulder lightly, and the spell broke. Piper whirled around. 

“What do you want? Ah’m tryin’ to blast a hole through a can, if you didn’t notice!” she said, eyes blazing. Colt held a finger up to his mouth. Shh. He pointed to the woods.

The fire died down when Piper too heard the shifting in the undergrowth. Both stood perfectly still, listening for any faint noises. Sure enough, it was there, like a creature turning around in its nest before settling on a comfortable position. 

“Some sort of animal,” Colt whispered. “Too big to be anything from around here, though. A bear?” Colt had seen a black bear once, when one traveled through town. The animal typically wasn’t dangerous, according to his father, but the townspeople were spooked nevertheless. 

Piper turned around and squinted. “You think bears live around Brawl Town?” She snorted softly. “Please.”

“Hey, anything can happen around here. Can you see anything?”

The blonde nodded. “Definitely a disturbance. Wait, Ah think it’s movin’ ‘gain, closer.” She took up her rifle again and aimed into the forest where the leaves were shaking on their branches. “Get ready to fire.” Colt nodded and prepared his revolvers. 

“I heard that animals don’t like loud sounds,” he said. “I’ll try to scare it away.”

“Good idea. Wait, Ah’m seeing somethin’ shiny, can you-” 

Colt fired, intending to graze the animal. Instead he was met with a loud, metallic  _ thunk _ . He frowned. Since when were animals made of metal? 

Piper crept closer to the edge of the clearing. 

“...Ricochet?” 

***

If Barley was the sweet, adored, and amiable companion to all the citizens in Brawl Town, then Ricochet is the opposite; apathetic, boring, and sometimes creepy. Almost everyone steered clear of the robot, fearing the computer behind the blank display. Everyone save for one.

Piper. Piper had been kind to Ricochet his entire five-year life, and he was eternally grateful for it. Ricochet swore to always protect her. After all, that was why he was sold to the de La Prims by Dynamike - to guard the life of their one flower. It didn’t matter that he was a robot and she was a human.

Ricochet loved Piper. And oh, he was willing to do anything to have her to himself.

That was why, when Piper left the house, he decided to follow her into the woods, peeping in on her little escapade with Colt. Ricochet’s eye flickered red. Were they dating? Were they just friends? No one particularly knew, and in a small town like this, rumors were always abound. Ricochet clenched one mechanical fist, careful not to make too much noise as he did so.

Why didn’t anyone say anything about him and Piper? They spent the most time together, even more than the supposed “lovebirds” themselves. Ricochet’s eye narrowed. Humans were strange. 

Ever since he was built by Dynamike, Ricochet had always been the odd one out. Among his robot brothers, Barley and Darryl at the time, Ricochet was neither friendly, like the former, nor “cute” like the latter. Curse Dynamike and his unstable mind, thought Ricochet, getting into sight range of the couple. Piper looked like she was having more fun than when she talked to him. 

Back to the subject matter. Darryl had eventually disappeared. Some say he ran away, but Ricochet knew there was no evidence of that, as the robot was too friendly to rebel against the humans. The most likely explanation was that he was stolen, but Ricochet had no proof of that either. Barley was snapped up by the barkeep, but was often let out around town to assist in various services. That left Ricochet by himself with Dynamike, until Piper’s mother bought him shortly before she died. 

The lady was nice, he remembered. Small, petite, almost like a smaller version of Piper. Quiet too, and didn’t speak up very much, even in response to her husband. She got stressed easily, which was probably the cause of her death - Ricochet remembered one particular instance where she had a mental breakdown right in the general store while managing the counter because of a tough customer. 

Ricochet’s eye turned into a “n,” something rare for the brooding robot. Out of the three, he had the best memory - besides Carl, who was the newest addition. Ricochet had met Carl once, and immediately decided he didn’t like the young bot. He was too full of himself, and his voice was grating. Dynamike liked him, though, and decided to keep him instead of selling him like the others. 

The robot flicked through the rest of his memories. Most were extremely mundane: standing in the foyer of the house waiting for Piper to come back, patrolling the surroundings outside, and quiet noises as he recharged in his own room. Ricochet really wished he had a better battery; it was frustrating to lose even a few precious moments with his angel because he suddenly got tired or something. Dynamike said he was working on it - the crystals had been discovered to have powerful electric properties. Ricochet continued to look in his memory files, as Piper yelled in the background, evidently hitting a target.

Here was a significant one, he thought, taking out one from the last few days. A recording of the meteor landing behind the general store, in all of its blurry surveillance glory. Ricochet played the video back to himself. 

The black sky. The growing speck of light among the stars, which prompted him to start recording. The light getting closer. Then shaking as the meteorite crashed into the surface of the desert, as well as Piper shaking his head around wait what - 

Ricochet must have crashed, because the next thing he knew, Piper was beside him, his head in her hands. His body was sitting a few feet away, a single bullet hole in his left arm where Colt had accidentally shot him. Why did Dynamike build him this way, where his head was easily taken off by any human?

“Ricochet? What are you doin’ here?” Piper turned around to show her companion. “Hey Colt, look who came to visit! Say hi, Ricochet!” 

Ricochet emitted a small “awawa,” annoyed. Colt simply grinned and waved back. “Hey Ricochet, never thought I’d see you in the woods - or your head, rather. Here, Piper, throw it here.” Piper obliged, and tossed Ricochet’s head, with Colt neatly catching it, poking Ricochet’s eye in the process. 

“To be, or not to be, that is the question,” said Colt, putting on a the best (bad) posh British accent he could muster, holding Ricochet’s head out in front of him. Piper giggled, while Ricochet’s eye narrowed into a “-.” Colt passed the head back to Piper, who set it on the flat stone. 

“Why are you here, anyways?” said Colt, rubbing his chin. Ricochet glared at the redhead. 

“I am Piper’s guardian. I will not let her come under any harm. At this Colt chuckled.

“She’s fine, as long as she’s with me, right? It’s not dangerous here or anything.” Colt slung an arm across Piper’s shoulder. “We’re besties. That means we’d kill a man for each other.” Piper nodded, holding up her rifle, winking. 

“Can you give my body back.” Ricochet’s display started to turn red. Piper frowned, and relented, walking over to his injured form and popping the head back on. 

“Alright, but don’t get yourself in any more trouble. You can go home now.” Ricochet stood up, but refused to leave, standing menacingly still. 

“Go now.” The robot stood his ground. 

Piper frowned. “No, really.” This time she pushed him gently in the direction of the town. Finally, Ricochet blinked, and walked away, hurt. 

How dare Colt treat him like this? How dare Piper stand by and watch? Well, it was no matter; Ricochet could forgive Piper. It was Colt he had a problem with. The so-called “sheriff” was always too noisy, too cocky, too naive. Ricochet growled, the metallic sound grating to the animals of the forest, as he stomped back through the woods home. 

If Ricochet wanted Piper all to himself, then he needed Colt out of the picture.

***

“That was weird,” said Colt, turning back to Piper, who simply shrugged. 

“Hey, Ah wasn’t the one who wanted to buy him,” she replied. She thought back to the day when her mother first led the robot into the house, his wide eye looking around and getting used to the surroundings. At first, he was alright, albeit a little shy, but after a while, his antics got old. He became oddly possessive for a robot, and Piper had started avoiding him.

“True that.” Colt paused. “Not to be rude or anything, but he’s creepy.” Piper nodded, rolling her eyes. 

“That’s why I don’t like going home.” 

The atmosphere fell silent, both of them trying to figure out what to say. After a second, Piper stretched herself out on the flat rock under a ray of sunlight, and sighed, closing her eyes. Colt blinked. 

“Remember what I asked you this morning?”

“The one about choosin’ a color? Yeah, Ah believe Ah do.” Colt shook his head. 

“The other one.” The redhead took a breath. “I mean, you don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to. But… Ricochet should be gone now, right?”

Piper opened her eyes. “Ah suppose Ah will humor you.” She took a deep breath. 

“My father wants me to marry you.” 

Somehow the mood got even more oppressive, the trees seeming to close around the pair, the birdsong fading into a distant melody. Colt coughed.

“I-I’m sorry, what?”

Piper sat up. “You know Manson’s been sick for a while, right?” Colt nodded, remembering all the times he had come over to her house. only to be refused because her father was out of commission. “It doesn’t seem to be getting any better. So Ah guess,” She picked at the hem of her dress. “Ah’m goin’ to be inheritin’ the family business in a short while. Except my father doesn’t want me to be the one to do it.”

The blonde got up and started pacing the clearing, troubled, occasionally grabbing a leaf from a nearby tree and ripping it up into pieces, getting smaller and smaller with every tear until it disappeared into a storm of little green flakes. 

“Why not?” said Colt. Was this why Piper had been acting strange lately?

Piper growled. “It’s because he doesn’t think Ah’m capable of doing anythin’,” she said, taking a whole branch in her hands, stripping the leaves off. “So he wants a big strong man to come into the picture and take over the operation. Like he always does.” 

“What? You’re great at everything you do! Honestly, you’re sometimes a god, and… Piper, you’re doing the thing again.” Piper released the branch and rubbed her head. 

“Ah - It’s just -”

“Don’t worry about it. Also, I’m not sure why he’d want  _ you _ to marry  _ me _ , because you know I’m useless at numbers, right?” 

“Ah think the point was to get the de La Prims and the Junkers from fightin’ each other. Like some fairytale plot is going to work.”

Oh.

Ever since the establishment of Brawl Town, two dominant families had risen from the multitude of settlers in the desert; the Junkers, who found themselves filling the role of defense and protection against bandits, and the de La Prims, who ran the general store, along with much of the inner workings of the town. However, the two often had differing views, running into conflict in every single category. It was only recently, with the relatively lenient Tom Junker, and the birth of a female heir, that the two families let up. It appeared that this only soothed the animosity for so long.

“Do you want me to talk to your dad or something?” 

Piper snorted. “Hell no. He’d probably start getting some ideas - he might be crazy, but he’s still as clever as a fox.”

“Then… what can I do?”

The lady turned towards Colt. “Ah think, if we can keep an act for as long as he is alive, we’ll be able to keep him off my back. Pretend to be partners, but only just enough. Keep him reassured.” She paused, assessing Colt’s reaction. “That’s my best idea.”

“Sure. I don’t have anything better, if that’s what you’re asking. When do we start?”

“Now.”

Piper walked over and sat down beside Colt, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her gun lay defensively by her. Colt glanced away and shifted, prompting Piper to straighten up, abandoning her touch.

“Ah’m sorry, is this okay?” Colt nodded.

“I just wasn’t expecting it. But…” He cocked his head. “You can continue if you’d like…” 

Piper smirked. “Do you actually like me?”

The redhead paused. Did he like Piper in that way? Sure, she was his best friend, but… did he consider her more than that? As a lover? He never actually thought about it, especially after what happened years ago… 

Suddenly the thought of Shelly, the purple-haired nomad, drifted into his head. She was rather shy, a direct contrast from the intense personality of the girl currently beside him, but in a way, it was rather cute. Then again, Colt knew hardly anything about her. What if she was a psychotic criminal? 

“Do you know the answer?” Better to ask Piper. She was far better at picking up the subtle clues others gave off. Surprisingly, Piper shook her head.

“Not for you. But Ah definitely know my answer.”

“...What is it?” A long pause

“Ah don’t consider you a partner, darlin’.” She looked up at the sky, which was beginning to glow orange with the evening, the clouds lighting on fire with the hue of the sun. The birdsong was beginning to return, and air getting cooler. Night was coming, and Piper picked up her things. “Ah don’t know why, but that’s the way it is. We’ve spent so much time together, and yet... “ She walked to the edge of the clearing, and turned back to Colt, with her classic, dainty smile. 

“Ah still don’t really know what ‘love’ is.” 

***

As the sun goes to sleep, the residents of the desert sun start to stir. The fennec foxes and hares start moving about in search of food, finally free from the scorching rays of the golden king who presided over the landscape. In this way, the night is freedom to them, as it is to our lovely, little vagabond, who is just now rising from an afternoon nap. 

“ _ Ahh, I slept too much again _ ,” said Shelly, yawning. “ _ Cousin, what time is it _ ?”

“ _ Sunset _ .”

“ _ Great _ .” She rose and started padding around the makeshift home until she reached the back, where a small section of the sand had been scuffed, as if somebody had buried something in the land. Indeed, this was where Shelly hid the precious gem, in case anyone did find the trio’s hideout - not that anyone would bother with the run-down place. 

This wasn’t enough, however, thought Shelly, continuing to scrutinize the ground. The power in this gem was great, but not nearly enough to do anything significant with. They would need to get more for the sake of all of them. Shelly circled back to the entrance. 

“ _ We have to get more gems _ ,” she growled, plopping down on the rough ground. “ _ I can’t - we can’t - do anything with just one _ .” Neither Spike nor El Primo met her blazing eyes; in fact, El Primo, out of all of them, seemed to shrink back into the shadows, away from the moonlight. Everyone in the shelter knew that Shelly was dangerous when she was in a mood, ready to lash out at anyone who dared bother her. But in a way, the manner in which she looked outside at the sky… it seemed to prompt a response from either one of her henchmen.

Finally El Primo spoke up, slightly flinching when Shelly whirled on him. “ _ The town has more gems in the mine, I think _ ,” he said. “ _ That’s what the commotion was about when we went down into the crater _ .”

“ _ Yeah? And what do you think we should do about it? We can’t just - dance into the town like, ‘Hey everyone, we’re here to take your crystals! _ ’” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “ _ You and me buddy, we’re wanted criminals. People are looking for us _ .”

El Primo shrugged. “ _ The sheriff didn’t seem to mind when he met you. If he didn’t recognize you, then others likely won’t _ .” Shelly frowned. “ _ I don’t know why you need so many gems, anyways. This one looks like enough to bail the both of us. _ ”

“ _ Because I… nevermind. What are we going to do about our appearance, then? I mean _ ,” she looked at El Primo. “ _ Especially you _ .” 

The wrestler chuckled. “ _ You really think I came out of Mexico with nothing? Contrary to what you think, I don’t just walk around shirtless all day _ .” Shelly snorted, blushing.

“ _ Okay, fine. When do we do it? I’d like to avoid being seen as much as possible _ .”

El Primo looked outside. “ _ We could probably go right now,” he said. “We’ve got a good amount of moonlight, and everyone should be asleep. You know that saying, ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.’ _ ” Shelly cringed. “ _ Yeah, I know the translation isn’t pretty. What I’m saying is that in this all-American town, everyone’s in bed by now. It’s prime time to sneak in. _ ”

Shelly sighed. “ _ I guess. Spike, are you in? _ ” The cactus nodded. “ _ Then let’s go. We should be in town by midnight _ .” Within five minutes, the trio was out and about, heading toward the distant outline of buildings in the distance. 

***

Shelly and her crew were not the only ones awake that night. A mile away in Brawl Town, one of the robotic residents was on the lookout, the charging port humming quietly as Ricochet watched the empty street below silently. Without the people bustling around, the place could be considered a ghost town to any passerby.

The robot closed his eye. He couldn’t truly sleep, but charging himself always took the entire night. He wished that it would go faster, but to no avail. Barley had stopped him in the street the other day to try and tell him something about the batteries, but Ricochet was too preoccupied with watching Piper to pay any attention to the friendly robot. He tried to remember his words, but couldn’t. That was the catch to his memory; if he wasn’t paying attention, it wasn’t stored.

Frustrated, Ricochet started looking through the rest of his memories, as he always did when he was “bored.” Besides Piper, these were the one thing that he treasured. 

Here it was - the memory he didn’t finish before Piper took his head off his body earlier today, the one about the night that the meteors struck the earth. He was sitting where he was now, gazing out across the town, when he saw an expanding star near the moon, and decided to start recording. The speck of light had landed far earlier than he thought. Soon the ground was shaking, and though he didn’t record sound, he knew that the resulting shockwave was thunderous. It was amazing that no one outside of Brawl Town noticed it. 

The playback zoomed into the meteor site. From Ricochet’s vantage point, he could just see into the crater. The meteor had landed, smoking, burning with a great, unnatural fire. A quick laser reading told him that the temperature in the crater exceeded 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the data stored away in his files. And now came the kicker.

The fire from the meteor started moving by itself. It hopped out of the rock, standing on two legs, looking infernal as it circled its discarded vehicle. Then it seemed to stop, and kneel. It stayed like this for five minutes. Ricochet attempted to zoom closer, his settings strained, the video becoming blurry. Finally he gave up. 

Now the sheriff - Colt’s father - came around the general store, skirting the edge of the crater. The flaming figure in the crater looked towards the sheriff.

Then it jumped to him. 

Nearly tackling the sheriff, the flame landed next to him, and with a short pause, it continued, alternating between jumping and gliding close over the plains grass. Colt’s father gave chase. Then the recording started to shake as Ricochet noticed Piper leaving the house, finally focusing away from the meteorite in order to watch over her.

Ricochet closed out of the memory and leaned on the wall. Here was a lead that Colt could use in his search for his father, he thought. But Ricochet didn’t want to give it to him just yet. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve anything. Ricochet squeezed his eye shut as he tried to go to “sleep.” 

If Colt wanted to have the evidence, then he’d have to fight Ricochet for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random notes:  
> \- I completely rewrote this chapter like, twice  
> \- Shelly and El Primo are not related  
> \- The plot's going weird places so I can't just put stuff willy nilly anymore T_T (I have to actually think? I can't do that!)  
> \- NEW BRAWL TALK TOMORROW?!?!?! and Ryan's back? HYPE!  
> See you next week!


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